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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 6 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1479608
This article is part of the Research Topic Training Load in Sport: Current Challenges and Future Perspectives View all 17 articles

Response of infrared thermography related parameters to (non-)sport specific exercise and relationship with internal load parameters in individual and team sport athletes -A systematic review

Provisionally accepted
Lukas Masur Lukas Masur 1*Florian Brand Florian Brand 2Peter Düking Peter Düking 1
  • 1 Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
  • 2 Braunschweig Hospital, Brunswick, Niedersachsen, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Monitoring internal load is crucial for athletes but often requires invasive methods for muscle-related parameters, limiting practicality. Infrared thermography (IRT) related parameters might overcome this limitation. This systematic review aimed to examine the available literature on the response of IRT related parameters to (non-)sport specific exercise and reveal relationships with internal load parameters in athletic populations. Methods: Four scientific databases were systematically searched (February 2024) with keywords related to IRT, load, and sports disciplines. Risk of bias was evaluated using QUADAS-2. Main inclusion criteria for studies were i) reporting of IRT related parameters and other internal load parameters prior/post (non-)sport specific exercise ii) inclusion of least Tier 2 athletes ≥ 18 years. After identifying n = 10538 studies, 13 articles (n = 231 participants) were included.Results: Following (non-)sport specific exercise in athletic populations, the majority of relevant studies showed a decrease in IRT related parameters within 15 minutes, while studies showed an increase in IRT related parameters following 30 minutes, 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours after exercise cessation. Relationships between alterations in IRT related parameters and other internal load parameters are inconsistent across the literature.While the majority of studies show an increase in IRT related parameters following (non-)sport specific exercise, relationships with other internal load parameters and underlying physiological mechanisms evoking IRT related alterations are not conclusively revealed in athletic populations. Future research needs to assess the relationship of IRT related parameters especially with inflammatory parameters in athletic populations following (non-)sport specific exercise. Practitioners might assess IRT related parameters in conjunction with other load parameters.

    Keywords: individualization, precision training, Muscle, Inflammation, Signature

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 08 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Masur, Brand and Düking. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Lukas Masur, Technical University of Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.